New partner
by Miry.Dea
Summary: Zero is assigned a new mission. But when he realizes that his partner would a vampire, things go from bad to worse. Zero/OC
1. Chapter 1

'Snow is falling and the temperature is very low. Although it is still early afternoon, there is no one in this part of the city. Maybe because the darkness is thicker here, the air is heavier. It's because of the Hunters – their headquarters are located here. They are like death angels for vampires – for us… Most of them would like to see me dead. Why can't I blame them?'

"Zero, I have a new mission for you!" said Kaien Cross.

Right then, a young, handsome man entered the office. His silver hair was only one of his distinctive traits. Everything about him was interesting, beautiful. So much that it could make any girl fall for him at first sight – it should. That is what makes him, like all the others, perfect killing machines. They could make you beg for your death, if that would mean you get to spend some time together with such marvelous beings.

"What do I have to do?" said a cold voice, in which one could easily feel disgust for such missions.

"We have information about a vampire killing people in Deron – young girls, to be more precise – to satisfy his thirst."

"And why exactly do you need me for that?" asked an irritated Zero. "Someone else could have handled this problem. I was dealing with something far more important and …"

"Calm down and listen to me! It's not that simple. You see, we have been looking for him for the past 2 months and it has been impossible to even get close to him. We are constantly too late. No one can identify him and we believe he has the ability to hide his true nature from us. He could be anyone."

Zero was amazed. 'How could he…?' He thought it was impossible for a hunter to take a vampire for a human. It seems like he was wrong.

"That is why I need you. And I have other news for you, which I'm not sure if you will like. Actually, I'm certain that you will hate me, but… you have a partner for this mission. And there is nothing you can do about it."

The last sentence was meant to convince Zero that protest was no good.

"A partner? Who?" asked Zero, sounding curious more than upset.

Right then, the door opened and a girl came in. Rather short, with brown hair and dark chocolate eyes, she seemed to be in a good mood. Her attitude, her style, her clothes showed that she was rich. Behind the glasses, she had a happy look and a smile played on her red lips. She seemed a little naive. Still, Zero's look became full of hatred.

"Hello, Kaien! I'm so happy to see you again!" the girl said sincerely.

At that moment, Zero got up from his chair and shot a deathly look at Kaien.

"What is a vampire doing here?"

The sudden change on the girl's face showed that she had been on guard all the time.

"Sit down, Zero." said Kaien calmly.

"No! I want to know exactly what is she doing here!"

After a heavy sigh, Kaien answered:

"She is your new partner. "


	2. Chapter 2

"What?"

"And ther is nothing you can do about it!"

Only by looking at Zero's face, one could easily guess what he was thinking about: 'No way!', 'This has to be a joke', 'Me...with her? Never!', 'Kaien, are you nuts?' and others.

"Sit down!" ordered Kaien. Zero did so because he was too shocked to protest.

Kaien got up from his seat and headed to the girl, who was waiting at the door and who had been named by Zero a vampire.

"Hi to you, too, Ariana. Thank you for coming and I am sorry for what has just happened." this time, the tone of his voice was soft – she must have been an old friend.

"It's ok. I knew that something like this could happen from the moment I set foot in the hunters' headquarters."

Ariana seemed to calm down and become again the cheerful person she had previously been. It's not like she could be brought down by someone she had barely met.

"You, together with Zero – the guy who gave you the WARM welcome" said Kaien accusingly, "have to find out who is the vampire who does all those murders. I sent you detailes about the case and I believe you have read them."

Ariana nodded.

"I don't have any extra information for you, so all I can do is wish you two luck. Try catching him before he makes any more victims."

"I can do that alone. I'm not going to ask what the hell your relationship with her is, but you cannot force me to accept working with her."

Releasing a heavy sigh, Kaien tried to explain Ariana's necessity in this mission.

"As I said before, the vampire can hide his nature from us, hunters, but there is a good chance that she might sense him."

"There is no need for that!" Zero shouted, his calmness slowly washing away.

"You should put your pride aside. There are people out there who need all the help they can get. Someone is killing them, one by one, but your ego will not let you accept a helping hand! What if there will be another victim? Will you be able to live with that?"

The sudden outbreak surprised Kaien. Ariana was not the type to act like that towards a person she had just met. But this only made Zero even madder.

"It's not about pride, nor ego. I simply don't trust you, vampire! As far as I know, you could wish to save them only to have them for yourself later. Or worse, you could be the one doing all those murders and you think that, by pretending to help, we won't suspect you."

"Zero!" Kaien sounded a little furious when he said that. "It's enough. She is an ally and I guarantee for her with my life. She offered to help and we will gladly accept!"

Both of the people in front of his desk opened their mouths to protest, but decided not to when they saw the look on Kaien's face.

"Arrangements have been made for you to stay at a hotel at the outskirts of Deron, the city where the victims were made. You're leaving tomorrow, at 9 am. And, please, try to get along well. There are people whose life depend on it."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, the weather was nice. It had stopped snowing and the sun was shining in the sky. Still, the thermometer only showed 2 degrees more than it had the previous day.

While people were rushing on to their work, a black car was slowly driving on the streets of Deron. There were 3 people inside and none of them was eager to arrive at the destination. The driver was a professions. You could see that in his attitude, clothes, manners and polite way of talking. In the back, there were 2 passengers trying to stay as far away from one another as possible.

"We are there, Miss." said the driver after he had stopped 100 meters away from a hotel. "Are you sure that this is the place? It looks… different." the statement had been made on a curious, but worried voice.

"Is Miss only used to 5 stars hotels?" asked Zero on a mocking voice. "Maybe you should go back to your mansion before you get dirty. Besides, I'm sure that the facilities we have will not satisfy you at all."

"Thank you, Paul. And yes, this is the place."

Ariana's answer was directed only to the driver. It seemed like she hadn't heard Zero at all. In fact, she had, but she had decided that it would be better if she ignored his mean remarks if she wanted this mission to be a success.

Still, he was right. She had never been to such a poor hotel before. Her parents were very rich and she always got what she wanted. She had seen most of the world and spent her holydays at New York, London, Moscow, Cairo and many other locations. But, besides all the luxury she got, she also had a very good education. She had strong principles regarding vampire-human relationships. She knew that vampires shouldn't take advantage of humans and killing for blood was, in her point of view, a filthy thing to do. Her parents had met Kaien and had agreed to help him with his plans of peace. That is how she got involved with hunters and this wasn't the first mission she had helped with.

Paul got off the car and went to open the door for Ariana. Zero noticed the scene and sneered.

"Would you like me to help you with your luggage, Miss?" asked Paul politely.

"She can do it herself." snapped Zero. "We don't want to draw attention to us. We have to be invisible. Besides, carrying your luggage shouldn't be such a difficult thing to do. That is, of course, in case you haven't brought tones of clothes and other useless things people like you usually carry around."

The impoliteness of Zero was obvious and even Paul felt like punching him in the face. But he wasn't going to commit such imprudence. It was his duty to stay calm.

"Miss?"

"It's ok, Paul. He is right. I can do it, don't worry. I only brought with me things of utmost necessity."

This last sentence had been obviously addressed to Zero and the words had been filled with rage.

"Really? Have you made this sacrifice?" asked Zero on a fake voice.

"Yes. But it is nothing compared to the sacrifice I'm doing by accepting to be your partner." answered Ariana angrily.

Then, she went to the back of the car and took her luggage. "Good-bye, Paul." she said and turned to walk to the hotel, completely ignoring Zero. Of course, he had had a tragedy in his family, caused by a vampire, who also transformed him – Kaien had mentioned something about it – but this was no excuse for him treating her like that. 'That idiot is going to completely ruin this mission with his attitude.' she thought. 'I'm so angry. This is the worst.' But she was mistaken, because when they arrived in the hotel and went to the reception, the employee asked if they were there for their honeymoon – so it's true that there is always place for even worse.

"You make such a nice couple!"

"What!" shouted both Ariana and Zero at the same time.

"Listen, idiot, you'd better not say that again if you want to live."

The receptionist was terrified by Zero and couldn't say anything.

"We have already booked 2 rooms and would like to have the keys – immediately." demanded Ariana on a cold voice. She was pissed at him, but also pitied him for having to experience that fierce look on Zero's face.

Without saying a word, the receptionist gave them the keys and he was relieved when they left to their rooms. 'I hope they will decide to use the window to go out!'


	4. Chapter 4

When Ariana had entered her room, she was tired. Emotionally tired, because all the hate Zero had for her was exhausting. She couldn't understand why he had to be so against her. His words, his look, everything was meant to hurt her. But another thing she didn't understand was why she cared so much.

On the other side of the wall, in the room right next to hers, Zero was lying on the bed. On the table next to him were some papers. He had intended to read them, but he couldn't focus. His mind was at something else, something which pissed him off. 'Why? I can do it alone. And why her? A hunter would have done better.'

He was in a bad mood. He couldn't get his mind off Ariana no matter how hard he tried. It was the first time something like this happened to him and the feeling was new. Of course, he couldn't understand it. He thought he hated her – it's the only explanation he found. She was a vampire and he hated all of them, didn't he? The only way out he found was to stop seeing her. And the only way to do that was to solve the case as fast as possible.

Zero got up and started reading again. Everything was silent around him and he focused on the papers in front of him. But soon, memories started flooding his mind. Memories of Ariana entering Kaien's office, of her hair flowing on her back, the happy smile on her lips and how it faded away seconds after. But the most pregnant memory was that of her smell – the smell of her blood. So sweet, so tempting. He could barely resist biting her. In fact, he could go to her room now and…

"No!" said Zero out loud. "Stop it! Focus on the mission! The mission!"

He was furious at himself and didn't even have time to calm down before hearing a knock at the door. He knew who was at the other side. Her smell was so intense that he could recognize her anywhere.

Slowly, he walked to the door and took a deep breath before opening it. The moment he saw her, a thought went through his mind – she looked pretty in ordinary clothes, too. 'Damn!'

"What?" said Zero out loud, on a cold voice, sounding irritated.

"I would like to discuss some details about the mission with you." her voice showed no emotion. Her breath was even and she seemed to be only interested in the mission they had. In her hand, Zero noticed some papers, probably the same he had.

"Come in."

She entered the room and looked around. It was the same as hers – a bed, a small table besides it and one single chair. She decided she should stay on the floor. It didn't bother her – she used to do it at home, too.

"You can take the chair." said Zero.

"It's ok. I can sit on the floor. I don't mind."

"I thought you are only used to elegant chairs and servants around you." the sentence was intended to hurt, but the answer was simple and emotionless:

"I am."

It was like she hadn't noticed his tone. In fact, she had. But it was already a habit ignoring it.

Zero couldn't understand her behavior, but he certainly didn't like her giving him the cold shoulder. So he decided to do the same. He sat on the bed, with his eyes at the ceiling and told himself to let her do all the talking. It was a strange behavior for him, indeed, but he was pissed.


	5. Chapter 5

The situation went on for two weeks. Zero would try to annoy Ariana and she would ignore him. Of course, at the end of the day they would both be pissed at each.

'I don't understand why he is so mean to me. He is a hunter, so this mission should be his top priority, not picking on me. Good thing that I can keep my head cool or else this mission would be a complete failure.'

'My God! She is so annoying. So workaholic and so infatuated. Zero, do that, Zero, say something… blah, blah, blah. And when I try talking to her, she ignores me. All say and no work. It's obvious that I am solving this mission by myself.'

'But what I don't understand is why I care so much. I wish he were nicer to me and it hurts when he is mean. He could make an effort. I would appreciate it and I would like him better. Wait, did I just think that? I don't like him at all.'

'At least she could pay more attention to me and to what I say. Maybe I wouldn't pick on her so much then. Besides, she is muck prettier when she smiles. No, no, no! I didn't just think that. She is not pretty. Maybe a little cute, but… Zero, you are an idiot!'

And so on. None could say anything and each would hide their feelings. From the other and from themselves. How long would they keep this masquerade up, taking in account that they hadn't even gotten close to the vampire they were searching for?

At the beginning of the third week, things weren't looking any different.

"What if he left the town? He might have found out that we were looking for him." said Ariana worried.

"It cannot be the case. There are no information leaks in our Association." commented Zero, a little irritated.

"I'm not saying that to annoy you. I'm just saying that it is a possibility…"

"It is not."

"My God! You are one of a kind! Anyway, let's get over it. I believe we should check the west side of the town. I think I sensed him there."

"I didn't."

"Zero," said Ariana calmly, "one of the reasons I was assigned as your partner is that vampire hunters cannot feel him, and I can."

"I am sure that you are aware that I am more that a hunter. Not my will and, believe me, I despise it, but I am."

"It's not that. I have an ability which allows me to…"

"If I didn't, it means that he wasn't there."

Zero said his last words on a voice which proved how angry, irritated and annoyed he was. Ariana decide to put the subject off until later. The conversation kept going, but it had no result. It seems like Zero couldn't calm himself down after that outbreak and he was angry for the rest of the night. After that, each went to their room to rest.

Of course, thoughts flooded their minds again. Zero couldn't get his mind off how smooth her hair was, how good she looked when she was smiling, and also when she was mad. He couldn't help but notice that she cared for humans, but, of course, he wouldn't let her see he had.

In the other room, Ariana was thinking rather same thoughts. She liked his hair and she would like to touch his hand. Only to see how it feels. And why would he keep a distance every time they were together. He never sat next to her and avoided being closer than one meter. Many questions raised in her head and she died to find out the answers, but she couldn't just ask him.

But her thoughts were interrupted right when she started undressing. She felt something strange, someone… and then she realized it. She pulled back her sweater and rushed out of her room and into Zero's, without even knocking.

"Zero, quickly. He's…" but her words faded away when she realized that he had taken off his blouse and he was naked in the upper part of his body. Her checks got red instantly and she turned her gaze away from him, embarrassed.

"If you want to see me undressed, you should have said before. You don't have to wake the entire hotel to do that." his tone was mocking and her entire face was red by now.

"S-s-s-sorry. I didn't mean to. But I need to tell you that I have sensed him. The vampire we are looking for.

"What? Why didn't you say earlier." shouted Zero. He pulled back on his blouse and got his weapon. "Where?"

"He must be at approximately 800 meters west."

"Let's go!"

Both of them rushed out on the streets and started running as fast as they could. The night air was cold and none had their jackets on. But none felt the cold.

"Run faster!" shouted an angry Zero to Ariana. She was not a good athlete and she slowly fell behind.

Zero found him first. He was sucking a girl's blood. Zero shot, but the vampire was fast and dodged. He ran away, but the hunter followed.

"Take care of the girl!" he shouted to Ariana, who was just arriving at the scene.

She went to check her pulse. She was fine. Probably the vampire had just started sucking her blood when they arrived. Ariana erased her memory and placed her on a bench. She had seen some people heading there when she was running and she knew that they would help the girl.

She left to find Zero and give him a hand in taking the vampire down.

But when she got there she saw a scene she didn't expect. The enemy was holding a knife and he was getting ready to pierce Zero's heart!


	6. Chapter 6

She didn't know how to react or what to do. She had no time for thinking, the blade was going down with speed… the only thing she could do was to grab it with her bare hand – and she did so.

At that moment, blood started pouring, not from Zero's chest, but from her hand. The smell hit Zero like a knife. Not only because he felt like drinking it and he could barely hold back, but also because he had realized that…

"Zero!" shouted Ariana, while she was fighting with the vampire – because Zero wasn't the only one who found her blood tempting.

Like he had been woken up from a dream, Zero took the gun and shot him. A few moments after that, none talked.

"Are you hurt? I tried to get here faster, but I… I'm sorry."

Zero looked up at her. His look was furious. Ariana was surprised at first, but then she understood.

"You figured it out." she said calmly. "Because I got hurt…"

"You're a pureblood."

"The reason why I haven't told you this before was that I knew you would react like this. Besides, it doesn't have anything to do with the mission. I believe that…" but she had no time to finish her sentence. Zero had gotten up and started walking back to the hotel.

Ariana decided not to talk to him for the moment. He was angry. No, he was mad – mad enough to turn his back to her instead of shouting. She would try later.

But this time she was wrong. What had made Zero turn away were not the news he had found out, but the fact that she was hurt. That her blood was pouring down her hand and onto the ground. She was injured and so was he. The lust he had for her blood was backed up by his injuries and by the fact that he hadn't had a proper _meal_ in quite some time.

He wanted to get out of here, to run, but he couldn't. He couldn't show her. He could only hope that her bleeding would stop soon – before he lost control.

He went to the hotel. In his room, he started tending his wounds. It was nothing serious, only some scratches. But without realizing it, his mind went back to Ariana. He wondered if she was all right, if her injury was serious or not. He had felt her passing to her room – smelt her. He liked it, maybe too much.

A knock at the door snapped him out of his thoughts. He knew it was her.

'Damn! Not now! I cannot loose control of myself.' he thought.

"Come in!"

The door opened slowly and a head appeared shyly from behind it. Her faced showed she felt guilty and that she was sorry for something – probably because she had been late and he had been in danger because of that. 'How innocent.' Zero thought and a small smile played on his lips for a few moments.

"Come in." he repeated, softer this time.

He noticed her hand was bandaged and probably already cured. He didn't know why, bur he felt disappointed because of that.

Ariana entered the room and headed to the bed where Zero was lying. She sat on the floor, as usual.

"I'm sorry I was late. I take responsibility for your injuries."

Zero smiled. All his rage faded away the moment he saw her so apologetical.

"It was not your fault."

Ariana seemed not to hear what he had said and kept talking.

"And I am sorry I didn't tell you I was a pureblood."

Then, he remembered what has angered him at first. He stood up and was now sited on the bed, looking down at her.

"How could you let yourself be hurt in such a moment? That vampire sensed your true nature and attacked you. What if he were stronger? Don't you realize how tempting your blood can be for some…" and he trailed off.

"What?"

Zero leaned against the wall. The shock he felt for having said that was big enough. His mind was now empty, blank and he stared at the walls, without actually noticing any.

Ariana's mind was exactly the opposite. Dozens of thoughts ran through her head. 'Tempting for some… does that include him?', 'Would he have cared if I were hurt?' This last thought was stronger and made its way on her lips.

"Would you care if I were dying?"

Zero suddenly looked at her. He couldn't believe her question – he couldn't believe she had asked that, but especially he couldn't believe she didn't know the answer. Then, he made up his mind. He couldn't hold back any longer. He would tell her everything.


	7. Chapter 7

Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up on the bed, right next to him.

She was shocked by his behavior. She didn't expect him to have this kind of reaction and she was at a loss of words.

Then, he spoke. His voice was strong, intense at the beginning, but it became softer and softer as he was he was realizing what he was saying.

"Yes, I do care. I care because the moment you got injured was one of the toughest moments I have ever experienced. I almost lost control of myself. And if I had, I don't know if I would have been able to stop myself before drinking all your blood. I wanted it from the moment I first saw you. I don't know why, but it smells so good that I can barely resist. In fact, I think that I'm about to give in to the temptation…"

His eyes got red as he was saying the final sentence. He was right, he was giving in, his instinct was getting the best of him.

Ariana didn't know what to do. She was scared – yes, she was. Given the fact that she was a pureblood, no one had drunk her blood before – it was forbidden. But now, this man in front of her wasn't even thinking about that. Still, she felt no need to stop him. She didn't push away his hands as they were sliding on her back, one up to her hair and the other down to her waist. He pulled her close to him. Very close. So close that she could feel his breath against her face. The grip he had on her hair got just a little tighter, enough to make her lean her head to the back. Her neck was now exposed to him – bare and fragile.

He started leaning his head forward. His red eyes were focused on her neck and lust was visible in his gaze.

Ariana closed her eyes. He noticed that. He knew she was afraid – it was all new to her, he could see it. He kissed her neck gently to assure her that everything was all right. Then, he licked a certain spot on her neck and sank his fangs into her flesh.

It wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be. It felt… normal, as if it was meant to be like this.

After a while, she felt that he should stop. She lifted one of her hands and touched the back of his neck, caressing it. Zero understood and pulled back slowly.

Then, they were both sitting on the bed, in a cheap hotel room, gazing into each other's eyes. They were calm and enjoying this moment, a moment which was as intimate and personal as a moment can be. Their eyes were saying everything there was to say and they didn't need anything else.

Ariana brushed her hand against his cheek. He turned his head a little and kissed it. Then, a sad smile appeared on his lips.

"I wish we could stay like this forever."

She was taken aback by his words. Both by the fact that he had spoken, when she felt like they should have remained silent, and by what he had said.

"Who says we can't?"

His gaze was unchanged. Calm, gentle… maybe a little sadder, though.

"Differences. I am a hunter, you are a vampire – a pureblood none the less. Things like this shouldn't happen. As much as I would want it, I shouldn't see you anymore."


	8. Chapter 8

She was shocked. She couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't think. But soon enough, feelings started flooding her heart. Disgust, sadness, understanding…

Disgust at him and at the fact that he was thinking about such nonsense things at this moment. Sadness because, in this little time they had spent together, she had come to know him and had learned of his disapproval of the vampire race and of his determination to stay as far away from it as possible (unless he had to kill one). Understanding… yes, understanding. She knew, although she didn't want to admit it, that his words made a little sense.

"No one can say what should happen and what shouldn't. It is our life, we decide! Not the society, not the rules, not the traditions, not the differences." She had wanted to sound calm, but irritation was visible in her tone.

"So we should go ahead and be together, ignoring everything around us. Maybe we should attend some fancy balls together. What a great idea! I know some purebloods – very nice persons. I even have some friends among them. The general impression that they are egoistical and self-centered and mean couldn't be falser. I love them all! But, honestly, if I had to choose, I prefer Kuran. He's an old friend of mine."

So sarcastic – his words, the look in his eyes, him. She was hurt. He was, practically insulting her. She closed her eyes because she felt tears filing up. She didn't want to cry in front of him.

He didn't notice that. 'Or maybe he did, but he doesn't want to face them.' she thought.

He spoke, softer this time.

"I have lost people dear to me because of purebloods and…"

"Does it seem to you like I have done those things you accuse me of?" Her sudden outburst took him by surprise.

"I'm not accusing you of…" he started, but was soon interrupted by her.

"Yes, you are. You are saying that the reason you are pushing me away is that your family was killed by a pureblood. I am one, too, so I also have a part of the fault. I am sorry. I was a child at that time, but you probably believe that I should have foreseen the tragedy and come to the rescue. There is a good chance that I would have been killed, but it doesn't matter, because it would have made you feel better, right?" she was losing her temper, and so was he. He couldn't believe her words.

"I never said that it was your fault and I don't want you to die! Don't speak nonsense!"

"Then, what should I do in order for you to accept me as I am? I can't change my nature. I was born like this, I didn't choose it."

"No, you didn't. You are who you are, I am who I am and there is nothing we can do to change that."

She stared at him blankly. She couldn't believe he was so stubborn, so into his principles – his wrong principles. She slowly got up and headed for the door. Her body was moving by itself as she was lost in her thoughts. He did nothing to stop her from leaving. She didn't expect him to, although she had hoped he would.

He was looking down, his eyes were expressionless. His words had hurt him, too, and he didn't know what to say to her. He wanted to apologize, to tell her that he had changed his mind, to hold her – forever. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. She was heading for the door and she would exit the room and probably his life. She didn't want her to, but he couldn't bring himself to lift his hand and grab hers.

Dragging her feet, Ariana reached the door. Her hand lifted and placed itself on the latch. It pressed down and pulled the door open.

Then he suddenly spoke. The feelings she got at that moment were hope, happiness and many others a girl could have when she finds the man she loves after an eternity of doubt and waiting.

"You should pack. The mission is complete – we should head back."

She couldn't take it anymore. Tears started rolling down her face as his words were like a cold shower in mid-December. Blank words. He hadn't even looked at her. She had her back to him, but somehow she knew that.

With more difficulty than she had ever thought she would face when performing such a simple task as walking, she lifted one foot and placed it in front of the other. And so on. Slow, even. Only once she had paused for a few seconds to close the door behind her. Then she kept on.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hello, Kaien!"

"Oh! Hello, Zero! I'm glad you called. How is the investigation going?"

"We found him and now we are going to come back."

"You found only one? Are you sure that he was working alone?"

"What? There is no proof to lead us into thinking he was not, is there?"

"I thought I had told you that we suspect that there are 2 of them involved…" Kaien was trying to apologies to Zero, but the younger one was getting angry.

"Are you nuts? You say that just now, when we killed the other? What if we are attacked by…" And he could have kept on with the accusations, but a sudden scream interrupted him.

"I have to go!" Zero grabbed the gun and rushed to Ariana's room. 'I hope she is alright. Please, be alright! Please!'

At that moment, if someone, anyone, could guarantee that she was ok, Zero could have done anything for them – that is how worried he was. He was sorry for what he had told her and mentally cursed himself for it. If something should happen to her, he would never forgive himself. He wanted her to know how he felt, wanted her to be alive, to smile to him, only to him…

The moment he caught a glimpse of her door, his heart skipped a beat. It was knocked down, like someone had forced their entrance. He could hear her – her voice was low, saying "No!"

He ran as fast as he could and reached the room in no-time. The view was terrifying for him – a vampire was holding her against the wall and was getting ready to suck the life out of her.

"Stay away from her!" he shouted and, the moment the vampire turned to see who dared to interrupt him, Zero shot. It was the best shot he could get and it pierced the enemy's heart. He fell on the floor, never to get up again.

They were silent for a while. Ariana was still scared and shocked. It had all happened so quickly – that guy coming in and Zero killing him. He had saved her life.

Zero, on the other hand, was looking at her, trying to convince himself that she was alright. That she was still breathing and looking back at him.

He dropped the gun on the floor and walked over to her. The only thing he could do to calm her – he could see that she was scared - the only thing he could do to calm himself – because he had been scared, too, scared to death – was to hug her. All the feelings that he had held back were now trying to get out, all at once, and he didn't know what to say first.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I told you all that things that hurt you! I'm sorry I let you walk away! I'm sorry I didn't say I loved you!"

Although it had all happened only a few hours ago, the conversation they had had in his room seemed to have taken place years ago.

"Say it now." She wanted to hear it, she needed to hear it.

"I love you!"

"Please!" she started, leaning back so she could look straight in his eyes, "Please, let us try! We are different and no one can guarantee that it will work, but there is a chance that we could be happy. Don't say that 'us' is impossible! Give us a chance!"

"We might regret it later…"

"We might not!" In her eyes, Zero could see her determination to convince him. And, God knows, he wanted to be convinced. Then, she pulled him lower and, at the same time, got up on her toes and kissed him. It was everything he needed – that kiss made him realize he had been blind not to see what she really meant to him.

After a while, they parted, but only to kiss again. For now they both knew that they deserved a chance and that what they had was far better and more important than any other thing on Earth.

The end.


End file.
